


Let's Have Dinner

by Shinju90



Category: NCIS
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s10e09 Devil's Trifecta, Gen, Humor, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-06
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-02-07 16:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1906770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinju90/pseuds/Shinju90
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An episode tag for “Devil's Trifecta.”  Gibbs and Fornell have dinner while avoiding Diane.<br/>Prompt: "Here's an idea, let's have dinner but absolutely no conversation."<br/>Yeah, like we're married!"<br/>Written as my 2014 NFA WEE fic for Smackalicious</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's Have Dinner

“Here’s an idea,” Gibbs said, glaring at the man rifling through his refrigerator. “Let’s have dinner but absolutely no conversation.”

Tobias Fornell paused, mid-rant about their ex-wife as he pulled himself out of the fridge, a half empty bottle of steak sauce in one hand. Smirking he replied, “Yeah, like _we’re_ married!”

Gibbs rolled his eyes and turned on a heel to desert the kitchen as his friend’s head vanished back into the refrigerator. He got as far as the living room before Tobias abandoned his search, and the steak sauce, to join him.

“Dinner would be lovely Jethro. My howling stomach would thank you for it. Unfortunately, your refrigerator is full of condiments!”

Gibbs flopped, face first, onto his couch, kicking his feet up onto the cushions and stretching out so there was no free space. Turning slightly he leveled a glare at the man leaning against the archway separating his living and dining rooms.

“I’m sorry,” he said sarcastically. “I didn’t have time to shop for uninvited guests!”

Tobias snorted. “You’ve not had time to shop for yourself, let alone a guest.” He pushed himself away from the archway and made his way over to the couch. He pushed at Gibbs’ feet and, when the other man made no attempt to move, sat on them. “Although I did notice that you managed to get your heater fixed.”

“I figure we’ve got a couple options.” Tobias continued as he got settled on the couch. “We could go to the grocery store and re-stock your kitchen.”

Gibbs sighed, “No.” He pulled his feet out from underneath his friend and sat up. “Here’s an option. Why don’t you go home and eat? Or are you avoiding the ‘ _toxic black mold_ ’ in your kitchen?”

“Option two,” Tobias continued, undeterred. “We could go out, maybe somewhere nice.”

Both men sat in silence, mentally debating the idea. It only took a few moments before they both shook their heads.

“Option three, we could call and have something delivered.”

After a few more moments consideration Gibbs gestured towards the kitchen.

“There are menus in the third drawer from-.”

“I know where the menus are.”

Just as Tobias was pushing himself up off the couch, headlights shone in through Gibbs’ living room window. Tobias dropped back onto the couch, twisting to look outside through the curtains.

“You expecting company Jethro?”

Gibbs turned, reaching out to pull the curtains slightly to the side.

“Nope,” said Gibbs, watching as the driver of the dark sedan cut the engine. “It’s not one of mine.”

Fornell leaned over the couch, squinting into the bright light.

“Do the takeout joints in the area know you well enough to deliver pre-emptively?” he asked.

Gibbs didn’t bother to answer. Both men watched, hands drifting to holsters they weren’t wearing, as the driver’s door opened. They were too far away to hear clearly but as the driver stepped out of the car Tobias thought he could hear the faint ringing of a cell phone.

“Ah hell,” said Gibbs. “What does she want now?”

Tobias’ appetite deserted him. He couldn’t see the woman clearly enough as she dropped her purse on the hood of her car to search through but he trusted Gibbs’ eyes.

“Do you believe me now?” He hissed as Diane finally found her phone and answered it. “Familiar with the military my ass! Familiar with you is more like it and apparently willing to give it another go!”

They both watched apprehensively as Diane paced beside her car, gesturing widely with her hands.

“So what’s the plan?” Tobias asked. Gibbs glanced at him and raised an eyebrow in question. “You’re about to be invaded,” he clarified. “What’s your usual course of action here?”

“I usually just let her say what she came to say,” replied Gibbs as he glanced back out the window.

Tobias gaped at him. “That’s a horrible plan! I refuse to go along with that plan.”

“What’s _your_ usual ‘plan of action’?” asked Gibbs snidely.

“Run,” said Tobias straight faced and deadly serious. “Run and hide. Usually behind my teenage daughter.”

Gibbs let go of the curtain and slowly stood. Tobias joined him, backing away from the window and praying that they weren’t silhouetted by the kitchen light.

“Did you ever get a lock on that door?” he whispered as they backed into the kitchen.

“Nope,” said Gibbs as he turned on a heel and stalked towards the backyard. Tobias followed quickly behind him.

“So, new plan? Have you got an escape route back here? Another vehicle? A devil’s trap carved into the decking?”

As they snuck through the door into the backyard Gibbs pointed to a section of fence that was being repaired. The neighbors thick hedges could be seen through the man sized opening.

“Hide.”

Tobias sighed but the sound of the front door opening had both men slipping into the darkened yard. They reached the gap in the fence at the same time and wasted a few moments shoving each other over who got to slip through first. 

Once they had both gotten through Gibbs shoved Tobias face first into the overgrown shrubbery. Just as they’d hidden themselves in the foliage they heard Diane’s shrill screeching from inside the house.

“Leroy Jethro Gibbs! Are you hiding from me? I know you’re here. Tobias too! I could see you rubbernecking in the window.”

Tobias shivered slightly as the back door slammed open and Diane stomped out. He tried to shift further back but Gibbs grabbed his shoulder and held him still.

“No movement,” the man whispered.

“I know you two chuckleheads are out here,” called Diane, her balled up fists on her hips. “You can’t hide forever and I can do this all night!”

Tobias whimpered. He wondered if Diane could hear his rumbling stomach. She probably could if she ever shut up. Gibbs squeezed his shoulder and Tobias strengthened his resolve.

“This is important Gibbs,” Diane yelled, tapping the toe of her right foot irritably. “It’s work related,” she added, as if that was incentive enough to draw him out.

The cheerful ring of a cell phone had Diane cursing and digging through her purse again. She sighed when she saw the caller ID and answered with an aggrieved tone.

“Emily, I already told you, I’m on my way home now!” She listened for a moment before stiffening and replying hastily. “I’m almost there honey. How far away did Victor say he was?”

Fornell’s wiggle dance of joy was only subdued by Gibbs’ tight grip.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered. “I love that kid!”

Gibbs turned enough to glare his friend into silence. Then they both turned their attention back to the woman standing by the back door. Her eyes were scanning the dark corners of the yard and Tobias froze. For a moment he was worried that he’d given them away in his excitement. But the moment passed. Diane sighed and returned her phone to her purse then pulled out her keys.

“I’ll catch the two of you sooner or later,” she said with one last glare around the yard. “You can’t hide forever!”

And with that final remark she turned on a heel and stormed back into the house. A few minutes later an engine revved and tires squealed as she backed out of the driveway then roared down the street.

Tobias went to stand but Gibbs’ hand on his shoulder held him back. He turned, eyebrows raised to look at his friend. Gibbs shrugged.

“Just in case.”

They remained hidden in the hedges until Tobias’ knees and back couldn’t take it any longer. He crawled free, taking some of the foliage with him, until he could stand. Stretching he turned to watch Gibbs follow him out.

“Surely you have somewhere around here better to hide than bushes? What about the secret tunnels DiNutzo claims are hidden in your basement?”

Gibbs grinned. “Nope, haven’t got any secret tunnels.” Then he turned towards the neighboring house and waved.

Tobias followed his eyes and flushed when he saw a man, assumingly Gibbs’ neighbor, sitting on his back deck. The man raised his can of beer in salute, then stood and walked back into his home.

“Did we just provide your neighbor with free reality television?” He asked disbelievingly.

“Yep,” said Gibbs as he turned to head back to the house. He paused, mid-step, and reached up to pluck some twigs and leaves out of Tobias’ hair. Then with a grin he continued towards the house.

“Thanks,” called Tobias sarcastically. “You missed a spot though!” He said gesturing towards his filthy suit. Brushing away the dirt and leaves he followed Gibbs.

He almost collided with the other man’s back as he stepped back into the house. Gibbs had frozen a few steps into the kitchen. Glancing over his shoulder Tobias could see why. A note had been left under a magnet on the fridge, in Diane’s handwriting. It was only one sentence, but it made him shiver regardless.

“I’ll be back!”

For a moment the two stared at the note in horrified amusement. Then Tobias broke the silence.

“Well, I’m flashing back to the Eighties. What are you gonna do Sarah Connor?”

Gibbs took a step forward, reaching out he snagged the note from the fridge. He flipped it over to check if there was anything on the back. There wasn’t. Gibbs raised an eyebrow, then glanced around the kitchen consideringly.

“Vance told the team to take a long weekend,” he finally said as he tossed the note into the trash can. “Was gonna head into work in the morning anyway, work on some cold cases but Dad’s been talking about visiting. Might as well save him the trip while I’ve got the time.”

“That’s a great idea,” Tobias said, clapping a hand on his friends shoulder. “Give her some time to cool her jets.” He pushed Gibbs towards the living room. “Why don’t you head upstairs and pack? I’ll grab my go bag from the car.”

Gibbs looked over his shoulder with an expression of disbelief. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“With you,” replied Tobias with a grin. “The second she realizes that you’re gone she’s gonna come after me and she’s right. I can’t hide forever! So the next best thing is to run, run far away.”

Gibbs stopped himself at the foot of the stairs. He turned, crossing his arms across his chest. Tobias’ grin widened.

“What makes you think she won’t follow us?” Gibbs asked. “There’s only so many places I would go and Stillwater is only a few hours drive.”

“Emily is why she won’t follow us,” said Tobias as he pulled his cellphone out of his coat pocket and began composing a text message to his daughter. “She and Victor should be getting home soon. All I have to do is let Emily know that her Mom’s been bugging Uncle Jethro and the kid won’t let her out of her sight! She could teach a leech to cling.”

Gibbs smiled, thinking of the red haired teenager that had gotten the best qualities of both of her parents. 

“She’s a good kid.”

“Yep,” replied Tobias as he hit send. “Now, are you going to go pack or do I have to do it for you?”

For a moment the two stared impassively at each other. Then Tobias started towards the staircase.

“Alright,” said Gibbs, raising an arm to block the other man’s passage. “I’m going. Don’t you need to call and request time off?”

Grinning Tobias shook his head as he replied, “Nope, my Director was fairly vocal about wanting me to use some required vacation time after getting shot at.”

“What were you planning on doing to avoid Diane?”

“I was considering letting my daughter see me cry but knowing Diane was bothering you is much better motivation for her.”

With a snort of laughter Gibbs jogged up the stairs. Tobias stood in the foyer for a few moments, listening to Gibbs’ feet on the floor above him.

He had never met Jackson Gibbs, but he had been wanting too for awhile. He grinned. It looked like he’d finally gotten his chance.

“Don’t forget clean underwear!” He yelled up the stairs before ducking out the front door to grab his go bag.  


- _NCIS_ -

They mutually decided to ride in silence after a disagreement over radio stations had nearly left them in a ditch. Tobias sat back in the warm, worn leather of the Challenger’s passenger seat. When his cell phone lit up with a new message he grinned and slipped his reading glasses out of his pocket. 

Sliding them on he could see Gibbs watching out of the corner of his eye, lit by the dashboard lights. He unlocked his smartphone, a Galaxy S4 recommended by Ron, and read the short message from Emily. He chuckled darkly as he replied.

“What are you doing?” Gibbs asked.

“Texting,” Tobias replied. He received another message and his chuckles turned into outright laughter.

“You’re reminding me of DiNozzo when he pranks McGee.”

Smirking, Tobias slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“Oh, I’m just rewarding good behaviour. Emily’s been collecting all the box sets of this TV show w-...she watches. I went ahead and pre-ordered the ninth season on blu-ray so she would continue to defend your honor the rest of the weekend.”

Gibbs snorted and turned his attention back to the road.

“I’m still hungry by the way,” Tobias mentioned a few miles later.

“Well, if you happen to see somewhere that’s open at Midnight,” Gibbs replied, gesturing briefly to the darkness surrounding them. “Let me know and we’ll stop.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Tobias said as he sat up a little straighter in his seat. 

Around an hour later, as they drove through a small Pennsylvania town, Tobias’ growling stomach was finally shown mercy.

“There,” he said as he flung a hand in front of Gibbs’ face, pointing to a dinner on the side of the road. “The sign says open twenty four hours a day!”

Gibbs pulled over without complaint.

The inside of the dinner was less retro and more ancient. They sat at booth and the cushion beneath the faded red vinyl was nearly flat. But the smell of greasy food and stale coffee was like heaven to the starving man. 

There were no menu’s on the table. But a dry erase board beside the register listed the twenty four hour specials.

As they made themselves as comfortable as they could a middle-aged waitress made her way out of the kitchen. She grabbed a notepad and pen from beside the register and approached their table. 

“What can I get you fellas?” she asked, eyeing them curiously. For all that they were a twenty four hour dinner, it didn’t seem as if they had many midnight customers.

“Coffee,” said Gibbs “and a plate of pancakes.”

“How do you want your coffee,” she asked as she scribbled on the note pad.

“Black, as fresh as you’ve got it,” Gibbs replied.

She smirked, “I’ll put on a new pot.” Her eyes turned to Tobias and he grinned at her.

“I’ll have coffee as well, milk and cream in mine though, and I’ll have a hamburger with a side of fries.”

She nodded, scribbled some more and headed back into the kitchen.

Gibbs looked at his watch. “It’s technically morning,” he said and he turned it for Tobias to see the time.

“If it’s on the list of specials, I can order it,” he replied with an unrepentant grin. His text alert chimed and as he reached for it Gibbs sat back in his seat, rolling his eyes.

“Tell that kid to go to bed already.”

“This one isn’t from Emily,” Tobias said and he carefully began replying to the message.

“It isn’t Diane,” stated Gibbs curiously. “She would call. Who else would be texting you at one AM?”

“Sacks,” Tobias replied. “He’s on the West Coast wrapping up the details of a case. He just heard that I’d been shot at and actually took the required time off.” Looking up he grinned. “He’s checking to make sure I’m not dying.”

Gibbs grinned. “Yeah, I’m expecting to get a call myself from Leon later.”

The two were still chuckling when the waitress arrived with their coffee.

“Sorry for the wait,” she said indifferently. “Your food should be ready soon.” She looked at Gibbs. “What kind of syrup do you want?”

“Maple,” he replied with a smile. She blinked, surprised and then smiled hesitantly back before turning and quickly disappearing into the kitchen again.

“I don’t think she’s used to customers,” Tobias said quietly as they watched her go.

“Polite customers maybe,” Gibbs replied.

“Do you ever get the feeling you work to hard?” Tobias asked, changing the subject.

Gibbs blinked, blindsided and momentarily confused, before replying.

“All the time and never,” he replied. “It’s work that’s gotta be done and I’m good at it.”

“But don’t you wish you had more time,” Tobias paused, searching for the right words. “More time to go visit your Dad. Or time to see the godchild of yours. Time to date...people.”

Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

“I see Dad and we talk now, over the phone. Abby set him up on my speed dial. Since Layla and Amira moved out of the city it’s harder to see them but we get together on Holidays.” He paused, sighing. “I’ve _dated_...people. Most people that I wish I had more time for don’t have any time left for me. Everyone else, well working hard lets me see them plenty.”

After that they sat in silence. The waitress brought their food out and they both thanked her politely. Eventually Tobias mentioned the details of the case Sacks was finishing up and they began to discuss cross country cases. As they were leaving and walking back to the car, Gibbs brushed his shoulder lightly against Tobias’.

“Could always free up some time for dinner if someone would cook it.”

Tobias looked at him and grinned.

“Maybe after the mold has been cleaned up. I wouldn’t mind a cowboy steak in the mean time.”

**_Epilogue_ **

Gibbs met Vance in the elevator as he arrived Monday morning.

“So, how is Jackson doing?” he asked as soon as the elevator doors slid shut.

“Good,” replied Gibbs. “It was nice seeing him. He has a Facebook account that he uses to keep in touch with Abby apparently. They have regular chats it seems. She keeps him updated.”

Vance nodded. “And how is Agent Fornell? Did he enjoy your trip?”

“Well, he wasn’t getting yelled at by our ex-wife, so it was a better weekend than it would have been.”

“Did you two do anything special?” Vance asked innocently. Gibbs wondered if he would call Jackie to gossip as soon as he reached his office or if he would hold off til lunch.

“We went fishing,” he replied with a grin.

Vance laughed. “That must have been fun. I can almost imagine the two of you arguing in a little boat.”

Gibbs smiled and didn’t bother to correct the director on his assumption. The actual arguing had happened when they arrived back at the dock. The time actually spent fishing had been filled with comfortable silences as to not spook the fish.

The doors opened to the bullpen and Vance stepped out of the elevator with Gibbs. He would often enter through the bullpen instead of taking the elevator up another floor, mostly on Mondays. Gibbs believed it was because he liked to check on his Agents, see that they were all still in one piece after the weekend. 

Or maybe he was reading too much into it.

Gibbs stopped at the entrance to the MCRT’s bullpen. Vance continued up the stairs to his office, not seeming to notice anything ary. Gibbs stared at Tony and McGee, both camped around the latter’s computer. 

Neither appeared to have slept much and they were arguing over what ever was on the screen.

Gibbs approached them quickly, checking both boys over for injury. When he found nothing but more signs of a long, sleepless weekend he raised an eyebrow in question.

“We’re finding Timmy a new place to live,” answered Tony. He clapped a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “When dear old Diane couldn’t catch you or Fornell before you high-tailed it out of town, very smart strategy by the way, she started knocking on McGee’s door.”

Well, that would explain it.

“After he escaped the bad lady-”

“I climbed down the fire escape,” Tim interrupted, looking slightly surprised by his own actions.

“Another smart move,” Tony continued. “In a less intelligent move he ran to hide in _my apartment_. Which will not be continuing. I’m staying off of Diane’s grid! And if you continue to stay with me,” he directed towards Tim. “She will follow your scent back to my doorstep like a bloodhound.”

The two glared at each other for a moment before turning back to Gibbs.

“Thus,” said Tony as he gestured to the computer screen. “House hunting.”

Gibbs nodded and turned to his desk. He made no mention of the large stacks of cold case files on either agent’s desk. Their current course of action was much more important.


End file.
